Acclaimed violinist Chuanyun Li will perform with the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra in April in two concerts titled "The Music World of Chuanyun Li and Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra".

The concerts will be at 8pm on April 6 (Saturday) in the Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall, and at 3pm on April 7 (Sunday) in the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall. The orchestra's music director and conductor Dr Yip Wai-hong, honorary guest conductor Professor Gabriel Leung and assistant conductor Dr Law Po-kwan will take part in the performance.

The entertaining programme includes "Violin Concerto in D minor" by Sibelius and Khachaturian and the well-known "Amazing Grace", "O Sole Mio", "The End of the World", "Che farò senza Euridice?" and "Spindrift". There will also be an interview session with Dr Yip and Chuanyun Li at which music lovers will be able to learn about Li's views on music, his personality and much more. The content of each of the two concerts and the interview will be different. Music lovers should not miss this wonderful opportunity!

Chuanyun Li is one of the foremost Chinese violinists of his generation and is well known internationally. He won first prize at the 5th Wieniawski International Youth Violin Competition at the age of 11 and is often invited to perform around the world with famous orchestras and conductors and as a soloist. He was invited to perform at celebration concerts for the 5th and 10th anniversaries of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). Li has had meetings with former President Jiang Zemin and President Hu Jintao and has recorded 12 CDs and DVDs, including "Complete Paganini's 24 Caprices", "Prophetic Bird", "The Soul of Violin" and "The King of the Violin". In 2008, Li was awarded the Chinese Golden Disc Award (Performance).

Dr Yip Wai-hong has been a well-known figure in Hong Kong's music education field for the past 40 years, and has numerous accomplishments as a composer and music pedagogue to his name. In 1996, he founded the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra (HKCSO) to which members aged 7 to 18 are recruited through highly competitive open auditions and rewarded with an opportunity to study under Yip Wing-sie. Most of the HKCSO's violinists hold professional performance diplomas. The orchestra has been impressing audiences around the world since 2001 on its various tours. In 2003 Dr Yip was presented with the Medal of Honour of the Hong Kong SAR. In 2011 he was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) for his outstanding service in Hong Kong.

The two concerts titled "The Music World of Chuanyun Li and Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra" are presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets priced at $160, $140 and $110 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Please refer to programme leaflets for details of the group booking discount.